Budapest Demands Pipeline Repairs Before Sanctions Move Forward
Hungary has announced it will block the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia until Ukrainian oil shipments to the country resume. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that the EU would also withhold the €90 billion war loan already approved for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Hungary will not back the sanctions package, which is scheduled for discussion at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, until the Druzhba pipeline, damaged by a Russian strike, is repaired and oil deliveries to Hungary restart.
The Energy Security Council also raised concerns over electricity supplies to Ukraine, noting that Hungary provides nearly half of the country’s imported electricity. Szijjártó emphasized that halting these deliveries could affect both Hungarian citizens and ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia, urging “particular caution.”
Tensions Rise With Slovakia and Ukraine
Slovakia has issued a similar warning. Prime Minister Robert Fico said that if oil deliveries to Slovakia are not restored by Monday, the country’s electricity company may stop emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Both Hungary and Slovakia had halted oil deliveries at the end of January, citing damage to the Druzhba pipeline from a Russian drone attack.
Ukraine strongly condemned the moves, calling them “ultimatums and blackmail” and accusing the two countries of playing into Russia’s hands. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the actions are “provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region,” particularly during the winter when Russian attacks have heavily damaged Ukraine’s power grid.
Orbán Stands Firm on Russian Energy
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, known for close ties with Moscow, argues that Russian fossil fuels are vital to Hungary’s economy and claims switching to other energy sources would trigger an immediate economic collapse — a point contested by some experts. Orbán has repeatedly threatened to block EU sanctions on Russia, criticized attempts to target Russian energy revenues that fund the war, and vetoed EU plans to provide military and financial support to Ukraine.
